Prepurchase inspection on a M20j what to look for

[Shiroyuki]

I just found out a bit more info regarding the plane.

During an annual conducted earlier this month:

Visible corrosion below RH window. Both tanks are seeping, All cylinder walls are showing corrosion, engine leaking oil from multiple locations and was deffered, need to add 1 liter of oil every three hours.

and

there is small non ferrous metal in the filter and larger non ferrous material in the sump screen.

I decided to not to go through this purchase as the engine itself is enough trouble, doesn't worth the extra time and money to fix the other stuff as well.

There's other better plane on the market.

 

[Pinecone]

You will find YOUR plane.

I went through 4 or 5 to find mine.

 

[A64Pilot]

As these things age it gets tougher and tougher to find a good one, and to be truthful often they want more than many are willing to pay.

It’s not hard for the cost to bring an older airplane back to exceed its value, that’s true with everything though I guess.

Be very wary of one that’s priced good, there is often a reason for that.

[MikeOH]

2 hours ago, Pinecone said:

You will find YOUR plane.

I went through 4 or 5 to find mine.

 

You were MUCH more efficient than I; I'm too embarrassed to say how many planes I 'went through' before I found mine

[Pinecone]

I was looking specifically for a 252, so the field was MUCH more narrow.

And I am not counting those I looked at the ad and did not bother to contact the seller.  I only counted those that got as far as log reviews and negotiations for pre-purchase inspection.

[Fly Boomer]

20 hours ago, MikeOH said:

You were MUCH more efficient than I; I'm too embarrassed to say how many planes I 'went through' before I found mine

I bet a nickel you will feel better knowing that I did various combinations of value analysis, log analysis, and face-to-face examinations on more than 60 M20Ks.

[201Mooniac]

22 hours ago, MikeOH said:

You were MUCH more efficient than I; I'm too embarrassed to say how many planes I 'went through' before I found mine

Don't want to sound glib but I bought the third airplane I looked at and have had it now for 29 years, turned out to be the perfect forever plane for me